The latest John Franco MLB and fantasy baseball news

The New York Mets honored former RP John Franco at Citi Field Sunday, June 3, before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He became the 26th member of the team's Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony. "It means a lot to me, growing up in Brooklyn and rooting for the Mets as a kid, and always dreaming about one day playing for your favorite team," Franco said. The Mets wore black jerseys for the first time this season Sunday, the signature uniform of Franco's Mets teams.

The Associated Press reports Houston Astros special assistant Matt Galante will manage Italy's team in the World Baseball Classic. Former RP John Franco will be the team's pitching coach, and former SS Gary DiSarcina will be on the staff as well.

Sports Network reports San Diego Padres CL Trevor Hoffman moved into a tie for second place on the all-time saves list with John Franco after recording the 424th save of his career Tuesday night, Aug. 16. It was Hoffman's 31st save of the season.

According to The Houston Chronicle's Jose De Jesus Ortiz, Houston Astros RP John Franco may be designated for assignment at some point in the next few days, as the team continues shaking up its lineup and going with a youth movement. "We have to look at getting execution out of all of our roles," Astros general manager Tim Purpura said. "It's something that we have to do to put us in position to execute. What we've done and what we're going to do is the normal course of the season. It's hard to evaluate. It's rare to go through a season without a lot of changes."